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The company is committing over half a billion dollars to build a state-of-the-art research hub in Thousand Oaks, CA, designed to accelerate next-generation therapeutics through advanced automation and collaboration.
Amgen will be financially committing upwards of $600 million into a new, state-of-the-art, science and innovation center at its global HQ in Thousand Oaks, CA.1 Construction is anticipated to begin Q3 2025.
The facility is intended to unite various stakeholders—including engineers, scientists, and researchers—across multiple areas as a way to boost collaboration, while aiming to speed up the discovery of next-generation therapeutics for patients. The center will welcome advanced automation and digital services, helping to drive developments in the biotech space.
Ever since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 was passed, Amgen has doubled down on its interest in innovating in the United States, reflected by its over $40 billion invested in manufacturing and research and development, including over $5 billion in direct capital expenditures.
The company notes that the pro-growth tax measures introduced under the TCJA, which were later strengthened by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, enhance Amgen’s capacity to invest in advanced science and US-based manufacturing.
"At Amgen, we're continuing to invest in the future of American science and innovation," said Robert A. Bradway, Amgen’s chairman and CEO. "This new center will empower our scientists with the tools and collaborative environment they need to shape the next era of scientific discovery and advance medicines that improve human health."
The latest Amgen news builds on other recent investments from the company, along with a $900 million expansion of its production plant in Central Ohio and a $1 billion investment to build a second manufacturing plant in Holly Springs, NC. Coincidentally, Holly Springs also happens to be home to an incoming 700,000 square-foot Genentech manufacturing, along with a Johnson & Johnson 160,0000-plus-square-foot biopharmaceutical production site,2 all of which are in an effort to not only boost domestic production efforts, but avoid impending tariffs on pharmaceuticals from the Trump administration.
“We are proud to break ground on our new manufacturing site in Holly Springs, North Carolina, with its world-class biotech talent, top research institutions and a robust infrastructure that will enable our growth for years to come,” said Ashley Magargee, Genentech’s CEO. “With this step, we are taking action to deliver more life-changing medicines to patients faster, contribute to the local economy, and bolster manufacturing and innovation in the US.
“We are supportive of President Trump's goal to bring more pharmaceutical manufacturing to the United States and appreciate the work that Commerce Secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce's US Investment Accelerator are doing to remove regulatory barriers that cause delays in establishing manufacturing sites in the US. We also thank the North Carolina, Wake County, and Holly Springs officials for their partnership. Their warm welcome and leadership in the life sciences bodes well for great things to come for our company, your communities, and, ultimately, for patients.”
Amgen was one of the 17 pharma companies who received a letter from President Trump in late July, expressing urgency for making changes along the drug pricing front.3
These letters stem from an executive order (EO) he enacted in May that proclaimed that pharma companies need to treat the United States as a most-favored nation (MFN) as it pertains to drug pricing. The EO notes that US drug prices need to be less than or equal to the drug’s lowest price in other nations, as a way of establishing fairness. Essentially, the letters explain what he looks to accomplish from the MFN order while providing a timeline until the Sept. 29 compliance date.
This includes extending MFN pricing to Medicaid; guaranteeing MFN pricing for newly-launched drugs; returning increased revenues abroad to American patients and taxpayers; and providing for direct purchasing at MFN pricing.
References
1. Amgen Investing More Than Half a Billion Dollars in New, State-of-the-Art Center for Science and Innovation at US Global Headquarters. Amgen. September 2, 2025. Accessed September 3, 2025. https://www.amgen.com/newsroom/press-releases/2025/09/amgen-investing-more-than-half-a-billion-dollars-in-new-stateoftheart-center-for-science-and-innovation-at-us-global-headquarters
2. Saraceno N. Genentech Breaks Ground on $700M North Carolina Manufacturing Facility. Pharmaceutical Commerce. August 26, 2025. Accessed September 3, 2025. https://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/view/genentech-breaks-ground-700m-north-carolina-manufacturing-facility
3. Saraceno N. Trump’s MFN Drug Pricing Push Targets 17 Big Pharma Companies, Spurs Global Industry Response. Pharmaceutical Commerce. August 1, 2025. Accessed September 3, 2025. https://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/view/trump--mfn-drug-pricing-17-big-pharma-companies-spurs-global-industry-response
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